hi, everyone. i'm tom ran hall. we're following breaking news right now. the head of the cia, david petraeus, is headed to capitol hill this afternoon to brief members of the senate intelligence committee on the developments in libya, egypt and elsewhere in the middle east. we're learning identity of another american killed during that consulate attack in libya at that took the life of ambassador chris stooerevens. he's former navy s.e.a.l. glenn daughtry. he served in iraq and afghanistan. on the ground today more u.s. embassies under siege. the latest in yemen where protestors stormed the embassy, burned the american flag. in egypt security forces have been clashing much of the day with anti-american demonstrators while off the coast of libya, u.s. navy ships have now moved into place. there are warnings across the middle east of massive new

demonstrations outside u.s. embassies friday, tomorrow. officials are urging americans to stay off the streets. in the past hour president obama issued a new warning. >> i want people around the world to hear me, to all those that would do us harm, no act of terror will go unpunished. it will not dim the light of the values that we proudly present to the rest of the world. no act of violence shakes the resolve of the united states of amera. >> earlier today secretary of state hillary clinton stepped up her criticism of the anti-muslim film that first prompted the protests. >> to us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensib reprehensible. it appears to have a deeply cynical purpose to denigrate a great religion and to provoke

rage. >> joining me now live from cairo, nbc's similar maceda. give us the best description of how things are right now. >> reporter: well, ironically benghazi remaid calm today. if you look at it, perhaps the libyan government's quick crackdown there on those alleged perpetrators. four individuals were arrested today. there's a manhunt going on that might have had a tamping-down effort. even there in benghazi, the u.s. government is taking no chances. we understand that all u.s. personnel has now been or have been evacuated to tripoli and only emergency staff are kept at the embassy here. here in cairo it's another 24 hours of protests against that made in usa anti-islam film. overnight last night some dramatic scenes near the u.s.

embassy which is 400 or 500 yards behind me. protestors seen throwing stones at riot police, charging back. they are firing tear gas to disperse the crowds. this cat and mouse standoff has gone on all day long since dawn. there's not a further breach of the u.s. embassy grounds. that's the good news, but it has remained violent. at least 224 have been treated so far according to the ministry of health. now, all eyes are turned to tomorrow, of course, friday prayers. egyptian president morsi has called for protests outside all of the mosques here, but that they remain peaceful and dignified. in tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands in the streets tomorrow, anything could happen. what a far cry from my own perspective from the old mubarak days when just the appearance of a few protestors down below at atahrir square would trigger beatings and arrests by the

regime. just using that matrix, this administration, this new government has come a long way. >> thank you very much, jim maceda live in cairo. there's a lot of reaction to the president's revealing comments about the u.s. relationship with egypt. >> i don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. they're a new government trying to find they are way. they were democratically elected. i think that we are going to have to see how they sfond resp this incident. how they respond to for example maintaining the peace treaty with israel. >> richard engel who is on the ground in egypt said he had to, quote, sit down when he heard those words from the president because for decades there's been no question whether egypt was an ally to the united states. joining me now nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell, the host of the show preceding this one.

also ti"time" magazine's deputy editor. you worked this like bobby from sun up to sundown. we heard jim say under mubarak's regime we would have seen people beaten in the streets if a few show up. we don't want that image, but our hearts break whether we know the images of what happened when the ambassador and three others were killed during the clash. either image is what we need to see. ed president said nor ally or enemy here. how do you process it, andrea? >> there's a big difference between libya and egypt. what the president says is the reality. it's a anyway way of frames the situation. basically mubarak is gone partly because we went along withhe inevitable, which was that he was going to be ousted. now the muslim brotherhood has won a dually elected president, and it's a completely new ball game. the president did speak with president morsi last night. clearly the united states was

not happy at all with the ineffectual immediate response to the protest outside the embassy. the president made is clear on to morsi they have to do better. morsi came out with this sort of endorsement and sort of weak statement, you could argue, saying that the protests should not have taken place. but the president is being very strong about this right now and trying to walk a middle ground where egypt, the cornerstone of our policy in the middle east, is at a cross roads. >> bobby, you heard andrea say it's a big difference in the events that played out, but nonetheless the difference in libya and egypt today, maceda reporting we don't see that level of violence we saw. egypt, we're bracing for anything as he also put it, but we note collectively this causes us to talk about the arab spring. the good and what some perceive as the dangers of what happened

in the arab spring. that's part of the conversation. >> what happened in libya is that the death of four american diplomats had a chilling effect, and it made the government take a very strong stand against these demonstrations. that did not happen in egypt and morsi is a little bit hostage to his own political realities and hasn't come out as strongly as andrea pointed out. president's statement is astonishi astonishing. i'm god smacked by it. what it tells the egyptian people is we're not really friends with you. we're only friends or allies with whoever is ruling egypt. >> he said it was a democracy. the line that followed that was this was a democracy voted for this leadership. it's a wait and see. why isn't that a fair assessment? >> i think it goes against the rhetoric of the last 30 or 40 years that egypt is an ally.

when you say egypt, it should mean the people of egypt are friends with people of america. if the regime is an ally, that's a different conversation. what obama is saying and he may not fully understand or appreciate what he's communicating to the egyptians is we're friends with who is ruling at the moment. the relationship between the peoples is secondary or unimportant, and that's potentially a quite divisive thing for the president to say. i don't think that was necessarily what he meant, but that's how it will be translated in the street. >> andrea, is that one of the pit falls what the president said? >> he was talking about the government, and he was just about to call president, mo mor when he set down with jose. i think he was speaking government to government, because it's the government that get $1.5 billion in aid. that's an issue on capitol hill, as we were discussing an hour ago with congressman chris van holland who very much believes,

by the way, that despite some criticism that this aid is important because it's important to continue this relationship. it's a pivotal relationship in the region. >> that is so true. when you look at the aid, the amount of aid, bobby, no matter who morsi or pressure he may be under from the muslim brotherhood or whatever, the bottom line is that is an incredible amount of money, and we live in the real world, a global world, and we know the influence that money is expected it to bring. >> yes, absolutely. that is a matter of surprise. i think that morsi doesn't take that into account, and his statement is -- >> we don't know he's not taking that into account. >> it's not like he has multiple sources of aid. there's not a line of donors waiting to give him a billion and a half dollars. the united states is the most important relationship egypt has. just as president obama is sort of sizing up the new government in cairo, the government in cairo should be sizing up the

real nature of its relationship with the united states and the nature of its dependency on the united states. if it had done that, done its homework, i would have expected a much stronger condemnation of the protests at the embassy, just as we saw from libya and yemen. we haven't that in egypt. >> andrea, you have great sources behind the scenes. what are you hearing as jim just said, no one knows truly what to expect in just a minute tomorrow as the so-called peaceful protests are encouraged with president morsi. just today dozens of people injured together. >> what i think our other team members on the ground have been reporting is, tamron, it is completely unpredictable. a sfas a spark can set things off. there can be an organized drel in the middle of the group, and they can use public anger over that video, the hateful video that hillary clinton and the president denounced in the

strongest possible terms today to set off the rest of the crowd. mob reactions once a protest is under way is hard to predict. what happened in libya is also unclear, but the initial intelligence we can report is that they do not think here in the u.s. this was a premeditated attack. this was a group which organized itself, perhaps they planned it the day before. this was not a terror cell organizing it with 9/11 in mind. >> quickly, bobby, outside of the countries that we have spoken about, libya, egypt, of course, where are your eyes pointed at in the point for an ally to step in ft air raeb world and where there's a bigger flare-up? >> the risk of a bigger flare-up and the country where it happened before are pakistan, and we should thank god for small mercies it hasn't happened there. we'll see what happens tomorrow. imt not sure there's an ally to

step up and hem in a situation like this. a genie has been allowed to slip out of the bottle, and to a certain degree this thing will play out the way it plays out. what the united states needs is for morsi to be much firmer. these are not spontaneous eruptions of anger in the street. these are organized protestors. >> they're organized. >> they've been stoked by people in this country just as much as people in the arab people. those connections, those hatemongers and agents have to be dealt with. >> thank you, and andrea, thank you to much for sticking around. you've been every platform for nbc giving us the latest information. thank you. the romney campaign is defending the governor's decision to openly criticize the president so soon after the events in the middle east started to unfold. at a campaign event in virginia just today a few hours ago, governor romney was interrupted by a heckler who aaccused him of

politicizing the violence in libya. >> why are you politicizing libya? why are you politicizing libya? >> you see there the man was surrounded and shouted down by the supporters of mitt romney. never answered that question. this morning senator john mccain was asked if he thought the statements after the attack was a misstep by the romney campaign. the senator quickly turned on the president. >> what this is all about is american weakness, and the president's inability to lead. iraq is dissolving o, our relations are israel are at a tension point. i'd like to see the president of

the united states speak up once for the 20,000 people massacred in syria. >> joining me now is michael who is also an msnbc contributor and amy stoddard with the hill newspaper. a.b., sthas an pivot or avoidance? what would you call what senator mccain did that interview? he was asked repeatedly by savannah guthrie specifically about governor romney's actions, and he doesn't answer. >> he doesn't want to criticize mitt romney right now in the glare of this moment. you saw there were not a lot of people coming on the air waves yesterday to defend mitt romney, but the people that did, you know, had a difficult time. senator mccain, you know, new this was coming, and he just doesn't want to be caught either criticizing mitt romney or really giving him a full-throated defense, which is why he pivots to criticizing the president. this is an awkward moment for the campaign. they've been avised to move to

other things talk about china and the defense sequester and to move off the subject as soon as possible. that's why he did it today. >> peter king said i would have waited 12 to 24 hours and put out a more comprehensive statement. peggy noonan criticized mitt romney's actions. there's several republicans who stepped up. i mean, john mccain is the maverick. he's the guy who talks about war. we know his record and praise him for fighting for this country. what does that say perhaps even about his character that, again, a.b., you don't -- you deflect with a pure-on attack of the president's leadership? >> well, senator mccain has really had a change of heart about mitt romney since they were rivals in the '08 election and in the primaries in '07 and '08. he really wants to be seen as someone who is helpful to him and can be trusted and is a loyal surrogate. so that's why you see him not

being a maverick anymore and trying to really help the standard bearer win this election and beat barack obama, who beat senator mccain four years ago. so you know exactly where his intentions lie, and that's why he keeps going on tv? i don't know. he knows the tough questions are coming, but he wants to be an expert on the middle east, which he has a lot of experience with. he's going to offer his opinions in the days and weeks to come and be asked about this again. >> we know where the allegiance of many republicans and conservatives lied, but several stepped up to criticize mitt romney's actions. they didn't cover it up and hide in the bush to pretend this is an effective strategy. you heard a.b. say the strategy for romney's camp may be to talk about china and sequestration and the budget. how do you pivot from a story in action right now, we don't know what will happen tomorrow, and a story you inject yourself into

prarps rightfully atz a nominee in a wrong way? >> i fear there's nowhere for him to turn, because these issues will sfa in the news for the next 50-plus days. it's not going to be china. it's more conversation about egypt and libya and about the horn of africa that will dominate the news. i think governor romney's handling has played very well with the base. tamron, i'm getting tons of phone calls from folks that love the tough talk, but i don't think it's playing well anywhere but the base. >> when someone like peter king or peggy noonan, strong voices, conservative voices, have said it wasn't the best strategy. how does that play well with the base when chivas yosome of your leadership have come out and said, this was not the best move? they're not throwing him under the bus, but they're being honest in their assessment they team it wasn't the most effective move for him.

>> the people i'm referring to don't take their marching orders from the likes of peter king or peggy noonan or anybody at the national level for that matter. here's what most troubles me about governor romney and why it plays a card with these folks i'm describing. it fits that internet lure. it furthers that narrative that barack obama is an other. he's not one of us. he's one of them. he's sympathetic toward them. he's apologizing for the united states. as we've discussed on any number of occasions, the facts say otherwise. what was issued by cairo four hours before there was an onset at that embassy was not an apology. i'm shocked that governor romney double-downed the morning after when by then he should have understood the chronology the way everybody in the media understands it today. it's that 2016 stuff, it's that european socialite stuff, it

feeds all of that. it's crazy talk. >> the polls, at least a fox news poll shows obama is up 48, rom knee 43. there are those who say these actions from governor romney in the past 24 hours r are an act for desperation looking at the poll numbers. what do you make of that assessment? >> it might have been. i think looking back on it he probably wished he had waited and just had said a few words about how tragic it was before he turned it into a hot blast, which he could have done later in the week once he assessed the facts. mitt romney will still win this race. president obama heads into a very challenging period with the middle east crisis. as tensions escalate with the israelis, word that the u.s. is not supporting their ability or imperative to strike iran when they see fit, this is also going to challenge president obama. it's also going to challenge mitt romney, because he's friends with the prime minister and he's put in a corner about

whether or not he supporting the israelis' right to strike when they see fit. it's a real test for both candidates in many levels in many different areas of the middle east. i think we'll see the polls fluctuate again. >> it's a testator voters to stay engaged and see what happens as these debates come up and we learn more about character and tone in this race. thank you very much, a.b. next on "news nation" -- >> we must be very clear what we are fighting in this moment is democracy itself. >> stheez election changes should be implemented in a what to increase, not impede, participation. >> they're calling it the last stand. right now the state supreme court in pennsylvania is hearing arguments on that state's controversial new voter i.d. law. the battle is coming to a head as the voter i.d. law faces its last court test before the election.

first, developing news from virginia where the first lady, michelle obama, is speaking to grassroots supporters in richmond. she sfopoke about the afak itta libya. she said her and the president are heart-broken. join our conversation on twitter. you can find me @tamronhall and my team is hanging it @newsnation. when this hotc to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha! his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve.

and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. [ female announcer ] and try aleve you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself. to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone's ready with the know how we need

for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪

boat sides faced heated and questioning about whether the law is necessary just weeks before the national election. >> these election changes should be implemented in a way to increase, not impede, participation. and they're recommending a two federal election cycle to ensure that no one falls through the cracks. my question is, what's the rush? who is it going to hurt? >> well, protestors on both sides of the issue have gathered outside the courthouse. the naacp president was one of several speakers who rallied with opponents of the law today. >> what we are fighting for in this moment is democracy ourselves. our opponents believe this will tilt things in their favor. the question in front of pennsylvania today is, which way, pennsylvania? forward, in line with the tradition of democracy in this country or backwards towards dark days long since forgotten.

>> nbc's ron allen is live in philadelphia. so, ron, we saw the protestors there. we know that a 3-3 deadlock would allow the law to stand. what kind of insight or background are you getting on the justices and how it might all come down? >> the justices are split republican and democrat, as is this whole issue. that was clear in the court from the questioning that was done by the justices. you're right, if it's a tie, the law stays on the books and the photo i.d. is required. that's the specific thing about this law here. you need a photo i. dichld., a passpo passport, driver's license, or student i.d. in other states you can vote with with a utility bill or someone can vouch for you. the opponents are trying to offer other suggestions and

alternatives on how it could be implemented. beyond the mechanics of it, there's a fundamental difference of opinion here and in other states aacross the country about how the 2012 vote is going to be carried out. it's not just early voting but provision aal ballots. in ohio the republicans are trying to limit the early voting hours. democrats want more hours available particularly the weekend before the election, which some thing helps swings that state to president obama last night. everyone here thinks it's a close vote. they think what happens here with photo i.d. voting could tip the balance. while there are legal arguments, this is a political difference of opinion, a political fight about the right to vote and how it should be handled. >> it's a difference of opinion, but ron as youen you've covered this for many, though. the republicans say this is to safeguard against voter fraud. the critics stay this is a scheme to suppress the vote.

when you look at the numbers of voter fraud, they're all but nonexiste nonexistent. when you look at pennsylvania and other states where it's under consideration. there is numbers to prove whether this is aan epidemic or epic problem. >> reporter: there's no evidence of in-person voter fraud where people show up to the poll pretending to be somebody else else and try to vote. however, in the court today, bh pressed on that, the supporters of the law said they believe there is widespread registration fraud, for example. they see this as a preemptive measure to block that kind of fraud. they're backing away a little bit. that's the problem, and there's no evidence that anybody has put forward in aa court or state legislature of people trying to impersonate someone else to vote. >> thank you so much. we appreciate your live report. we're following developing news. the fed aannounnnounces what's

an aggressive new stimulant. we're getting caught up. why congressman paul ryan is returning to capitol hill in a few hours and what nancy pelosi had waiting for him upon arrival. these fellas used capital one venture miles for a golf getaway. double miles you can actually use... but mr. single miles can't join his friends because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with the capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift.

i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections,

have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it.

design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ a not so warm well for paul ryan from democrats on capitol hill today. hours from now elmake his first appearance on the floor. he returned to capitol hill for a vote to avoid a government shutdown for the next six months. house minority leader nancy sellcy has released a video to quote-unquote welcome ryan back to washington. ♪ welcome back

welcome back welcome back welcome back ♪ >> the video shows a series of clips of congressman ryan trying to explain his proposals on medicare and taxes. coming up, more on president obama and governor romney's mess created by the governor's own words. it's considered a mess from people within his own party. these are not just democrats making this analysis. we'll get the first read from msnbc's political member. the chicago teachers union says a deal to end that strike in 25 years could be close. we'll find out what that means. check out the "news nation" tumbler page. you can get behind the scene pictures. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve,

which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. ♪ [ acou[ barks ]ar: slow ] ♪ [ upbeat ] [ barks ] beneful playful life is made with energy-packed wholesome grains... and real beef and egg. to help you put more play in your day. it's eb. want to give your family the very best in taste, freshness, and nutrition? it's eb. eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb. welcome back. the federal reserve has

announced new steps to stimulate our economy. right now wall street is surging. the dow is up more than 198 points there. wall street stocks started the day at their highest level in nearly five years. and speaking a short time ago, chairman ben bernanke explained why the fed made this latest decision. >> the employment situation, however, remains a grave concern. while the economy appears to be on a path of moderate recovery, it isn't growing fast enough to make significance progress, reducing the unemployment rate. >> the daily beast and "newsweek" columnist is here to break it down for us. you have some republicans who said before this action if the fed did move and the economy improved, it was actions of been bernanke, not the obama administration. never this latest move keeping interest rates low and buying

bonds, what's it mean for us? >> it means for the foreseeable future, we won't collapse. maybe people weren't as worried about that, but that's in the air. two, making sure the system is liquid and fluid does have an effect on interest rates. one of the arcane things they're doing is buying mortgage bonds every month. that's likely to keep mortgage rates low, and one of the things that has been holding back the job market is the inability to sell your home and move. in many ways and obviously the stock market pop, this is a good thing. and only if you don't want there to be a good thing because your election pin on there being bad things can you see this as a bad thing. >> this is interesting. you talk about wall street stocks starting the day at the highest level in five years and how that is processed good, bad, depending on your point of view. in the 2008 cycle every day

literally there were a network that had a graphic of a stock market if the president spoke and he was measured daily on the stock market in the first 100 days. here we are at levels five years highest opening in nearly five years, and there can't be a collective agreement that that is good news. >> i think it should be seen as good news you have central bankers who are trying to preserve the system. look, we live in a really cynical time with a lot of criticisms, and central bankers are fallible and are human beings. there are doing everything they can in their power to make sure the system is stable. it's up to politicians when we go to the polls to make sure we deal with it. spending, jobs bills, health care costs, taxes. banks can't do that, but creating a climate where there's not panic and immediate anxiety the bottom will fall out, that's an utterly vital thing. because of today and last week

because of europe, we ought to acknowledge that and glad for it. >> thank you very much for coming on to get analysis on the latest move by the fed. thanks, zachary. won't see you in a couple days. first lady michelle obama paid tribute to the four americans killed in tuesday's attacks at the consulate in benghazi, libya. they include chris stevens. this is what the michelle obama said. >> i want to take a moment to go how heartbroken barack and i are about the horrific tragedy that happened earlier this week in libya. it's important to say our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who gave their lives serving their country. >> the first load also said our thanks go out to all the americans serving around the world. we continue to follow the escalating attentions in the

middle east. embassies are warning of more protests tomorrow and telling americans to stay off the streets. right now in cairo hundreds of demonstrators are camped out near the u.s. embassy, and today on capitol hill cia director david petrus is briefing the senate intelligence committee on the situation. they're calling a full-fledged foreign policy crisis. mark murray joins us. mark, it's so interesting. my executive producer was talking about this article the other day. i think it was the "l.a. times" about the september surprise as related to the lehman brothers in the last general election. re the next day this happened when the lehman brothers issue happened, people thought we'd talk about the war in iraq and afghanistan. switched to the economy. we thought we'd talk about the economy, and now it's foreign policy issues. >> tamron, i think that analogy is pretty apt. one thing worth noting with a

little caution about the middle east, everything could die down in the next couple of days and it wouldn't be the full-fledged financial collapse and panic we saw in the fall of 2008. however, you are exactly right. in 2008 we all thought this was a national security/foreign policy presidential election. probably fought on iraq. on september 15th when lehman brothers collapsed it turned on the dime to an economy. and yesterday and even the hours before that, we've been talking about the economy. and lo and behold foreign policy and national security pops up, and mitt romney had a rough day yesterday, even getting -- out of yemen. out of libya that is banking a lot of scrutiny between now and election day if that stuff continues. >> what do you believe -- you listed a couple of questions for the president to answer. you say, do we have intelligence

gap in libya? why weren't extra security precautions being taken? you move on to talk about where does the u.s. now stand with the muslim world? we heard the president in that interview with jose diaz vallard, our colleague, saying egypt is not an ally our enemy. richard engel had to set down because egypt had always been an ally under mubarak. >> so much of the political focus yesterday was how mitt romney handled and how the campaign responded and tried to attack president obama. those questions that you raise, particularly the last one is the united states better off with the relationship with egypt, with other countries in the muslim world now than when president obama first took office? of course, we have seen the arab spring, and on the one hand you saw the obama administration and europe countenance the arab

spring, but there's the question of whether the middle east is safer at least in the short run and a better ally in the short return before the arab spring than after. >> obviously, eyes are watching as the president handles the situation, but, of course, it factors into the upcoming debates and the counter coming from mitt romney. set aside what his party has already criticized his actions regarding this initial response, this puts him on the hot speet, as the nominee, to answer more specifically foreign policy questions, not to waffle or not to change. as he did quite honestly at the beginning of the crisis in libya when gadhafi was still in the country and alive. >> tamron, another point. mitt romney on every poll you see trailing president obama whether it comes to commander in chief issues, when it comes to national security. both of them might battle it out days ahead on the issues, but president obama starts out with an advantage. that was one of the reasons why mitt romney and his campaign pounced that they decided to do

on tuesday night to probably get some advantage back on national security issues. of course, when we found out all the facts and developments including the tragic killings in na embassy in libya, it wasn't a good move for the romney campaign. you can see that they are itching to have a fight on national security and it's possible as we were just talking about that could be the issue from here on out. >> that would be an incredible development. thank you very much, mark. great pleasure seeing you. see you tomorrow hopefully. coming up, making progress. there is word chicago students could be back in school by monday, perhaps the first time kids would be happy that school was opening up and running. we'll get the latest on what these negotiators and teachers union is saying at this point. first, there's a lot going on today. here are what we thought you should know. the florida pizza shop owner is at it again. check out scott van deucer

giving former florida governor charlie crist -- i thought that was photo shopped. that's a real picture. his legs look so small in that. that's the patented bear hug. that's not a photo shopped picture. here he is giving the president the big bear hug on sunday. crist was a republican while governor and he's now an independent. "saturday night live" gets jay farrow will play president obama taking over the role from fred arm seven. jay has plaued eddie murphy and does an amazing jay-z. lorne michaels said it might be time to shake things up. speaking of jay-z, jay-z and beyonce are hosting a fund-raiser for the president in new york next week. the sbintimate event will be he at jay-z's 40 lsh 40 club and will cost you $40,000. that's what we just thought you

should know. [ male announcer ] at scottrade, we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

it's another reason more investors are saying... you misare you sure?et toss. eeeee! yeah. i get all my friends' pics as soon as they take them. really? you just missed an awesome dance off between the dads. oh... wow! (laughing) you just missed the cake fight. seriously? everyone's taking pictures like they're paparazzi. are we missing that? we're not, check it out. aww, yeah, haha. excuse me. vo: get all your friends' photos automatically with share shot on the galaxy s3. hey! first dance!

are you kidding me??? that also becomes headaches. i was very skeptical about aspirin. bayer advanced was completely different. it really did get rid of the pain. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com. until i got a job in the big apple. becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight. as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym.

♪ the one and only, cheerios if you're sitting in front of your computer sipping a cup of coffee, you're probably not suffering neck and shoulder pain. in a new study people who drank a cup of coffee and performed sxurt tasks claimed less neck and shoulder pain than those who did not drink the cup. there's new information about chicago's four-day-old teacher strike. it could come to an end right now. there's hope that class could actually resume by monday. nbc's john yang joins me now from chicago. is that wishful thinking, or are

there signs progress is made? >> reporter: tamron, this was the first day we heard optimistic words from both sides as they went into the talks a little more than four hours ago. the union president said out of scale of 1 to 10, she rated the chances of an agreement today at a 9. both sides, the city side, the school board side said unless things go absolutely nutsy, they would have a deal. apparently there was a great deal of progress made yesterday in talks that ended around midnight. they say the big difference was that they made progress on the issue of teacher evaluations. that's been one of the big stumbling blocks. how much of the teacher evaluations would be based on standardized testing. they said that they really drilled down the details and the talks yesterday. they made a great deal of progress. they felt there was enough progress they could reach a deal today. however, karen lewis, the union

president said if there was a deal today, it would still have to be ratified by the house of delegates, which is the governing body. about 700 members have to agree to send it on to the full union membership for approval, and that would have to come tomorrow and then classes couldn't begin until monday at the earliest if there's a deal. tamron. >> thank you so much. up next, we get one more up date on the latest attacks and protests on u.s. embassies overseas. we look ahead to tomorrow. what could happen in egypt. first, you can find today's "news nation" gut check on our facebook page. just click on once we're off air. just go to facebook dot couple/newsnation. it is a doozy. we want you to chime in.

an update on the top story. a huge crowd is still gathered near the u.s. embassy in cairo,

egypt where it's just before 9:00 p.m. there are fires burning in the background, people milling about. protests there began tuesday after an anti-muslim film made in the united states was posted on the internet. protestors sfotormed the americ embassy in yemen. the president of that country condemned the attack. tonight there are warnings across the middle east of massive new demonstrations outside u.s. embassies tomorrow. those are some of the latest details we have for you. we'll keep you up to date throughout the evening and the night on this breaking news story. that does it for this edition of "news nation." i'm tamron hall. "the cycle" is up next. ♪

♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism. oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race.

no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners.

♪ but between check-ups, it goes through a lot. ♪ tartar builds and that feeling fades. with new listerine® ultraclean™, you can keep it dentist clean. it's the only mouthwash with proven tartar control and new everfresh™ technology for a powerful dentist clean feeling up to 3x longer. ahhhhhhhh. [ male announcer ] keep your mouth dentist clean with new listerine® ultraclean™. power to your mouth™. i'm krystal ball, and it's 9:00 p.m. in cairo. protests continue. today we're live from tahrir square to capitol hill covering all the players